Tough WAC trip starts at UTRGV

Thursday, Jan. 30 \| 6 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Edinburg, Texas

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (8-12, 3-3)	VS	UTRGV VAQUEROS (6-13, 2-4)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| LISTEN: 1 580 The Fanatic, 99.3 FM, 95.9 FM \| STATS: View

EDINBURG, Texas — If this Grand Canyon season is going to be a winding journey to success, the Lopes are going to have to travel well.

Weeks like this make that challenging. The annual WAC trip to UT Rio Grande Valley and New Mexico State is GCU's toughest adventure.

The games have been arduous for the career of Lopes junior center Alessandro Lever, whose freshman team lost by three at UTRGV and four at New Mexico State. Last season, the Lopes were crushed by half-court shot for a 3-point loss at New Mexico State but rallied to win by four at UTRGV.

Coming off three tight games in a row with a winning streak busted by Saturday's 73-69 loss to Utah Valley, GCU will open the trip Thursday night at UTRGV Fieldhouse. That is where the good Vaqueros show up with a 6-3 home record and play that looks like a different team from its 0-10 road version.

"It is the hardest road trip," Lever said. "UTRGV is a tough place to play. They try to force you play at a faster pace with them. We have to take care of the ball because they're going to try to rush us and make us take a lot of bad shots with turnovers. In order to win, we're going to have to play our pace."

The Lopes will try to re-establish their winning ways, which were predicated on defense before giving up a 49.1% shooting game to Utah Valley. GCU was allowing 37.6% shooting over a six-game stretch until Saturday, when it still nearly survived with a comeback that came up one defensive rebound short of having a chance to tie or win.

"We lost our way," Lopes head coach Dan Majerle said. "We were comfortable for whatever reason.

"We've got to get stops. Defense. Wear it like a badge. A pride of honor."

The teams' strengths collide with GCU ranking 31st in the nation for least turnovers per game (11.5) and UTRGV having the eighth-best turnover margin in the nation at plus-5.1 per game.

The Vaqueros won four consecutive home games until Saturday, when it challenged WAC leader New Mexico State but lost 67-62 with its top player, point guard Javon Levi, out of the lineup. He is listed as a probable starter for Thursday night.

Levi would be the national assists leader at 8.4 per game but will not qualify statistically until after the GCU game. The 5-foot-11 junior has assisted on 51.9% of his possessions this season.

GCU's offense could be allotted a chance to get back on track against a Vaqueros defense that fouls often (20.6 per game) and has allowed 46.5% shooting on the season.

"We've just got to go out there and get it really," Lopes senior small forward Carlos Johnson said. "There's nothing really we can talk about. We've got to go out there and take care of business.

"We've got to do whatever Coach tells us. We're fighting for our lives right now. Whatever Coach tell us to do, we have to go out there and execute it to the best of our ability."

Lope tracks

Johnson (17.7 points per game) and Lever (17.0 points per game) rank second and third for scoring in WAC games this season.
GCU has shot better from 3-point range in road games (37.5%) than home games (26.6%) this season.
The Lopes rank 32nd nationally in free throw percentage (76.1%).
Lever's 53.7% shooting leads the WAC and ranks 67th in the nation.
GCU freshman point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. shares the WAC lead for defensive rebounds per game (5.0) with Seattle U's Terrell Brown.
Johnson's 35.5 minutes per game ranks 54th in the nation. Blacksher's 34.9 minutes per game ranks third among freshmen in the nation.
UTRGV leading scorer Jordan Jackson, a senior guard averaging 15.5 points, is the son of Hall of Fame basketball player Sheryl Swoopes.
If Thursday's game is decided by five points or fewer, it would be the first time since the 2002-03 season that the Lopes had played four such games in a row.

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Thursday, Jan. 30 | 6 p.m. (Phoenix time) | Edinburg, Texas

VS

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jovan Blacksher Jr.

Carlos Johnson

Alessandro Lever

Grand Canyon University Athletics